TAASH
What is Court Piece?
Court Piece is a trick-taking card game for four players in two teams, loved across Pakistan and India and wherever families from there have settled. It goes by many names: Rung or Rang (the word for the trump suit), Coat Piece and Kot Piece. The rules below are the ones Taash plays, and they match what most families play at home.
Partners sit across from each other, so every other seat is on your team. Play goes anti-clockwise: the next player is on your right. Cards rank from the Ace (high) down to the 2.
The deal and choosing the Rung
The first dealer is picked at random. The player after the dealer is the Hukum: they get their first five cards and, looking only at those, choose the Rung, the trump suit for the whole hand.
On Taash only the Hukum sees cards while the Rung is chosen. Everyone else sees "Sara is choosing Rung" and a 30-second countdown. If time runs out, the Hukum's longest suit among the five is chosen for them.
Once the Rung is chosen, the rest of the deck is dealt so that everyone holds 13 cards.
Playing the tricks
- The Hukum leads the first trick. After that, whoever wins a trick leads the next.
- You must follow the suit that was led if you have a card of it.
- If you can't follow, you may play any card: cut with a Rung card, or throw away a card of another suit. Nobody has to cut, or to cut higher than someone else.
- The highest Rung card wins the trick. If no Rung was played, the highest card of the suit that was led wins.
Lifting the pile
In Court Piece a trick isn't taken straight away. Its four cards stay in the middle, and the next trick is thrown on top, so a pile of tricks builds up.
- Win two tricks in a row and you lift the whole pile for your team. Then a new pile starts.
- Nobody can lift before the 3rd trick. Winning tricks 1 and 2 lifts nothing yet.
- Whoever wins the 13th trick lifts whatever is still on the table.
This is what makes Court Piece exciting: one well-timed pair of wins can sweep up half the hand.
Kot and scoring
All 13 tricks are always played. The team that lifted more tricks wins the hand. With 13 tricks there's never a tie.
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| Win the hand | 1 point |
| Kot | 3 points: the Hukum's team lifts all 13 tricks |
| Goon Kot | 6 points: the other team lifts all 13 |
If the Hukum's team wins the hand, the same player deals again, so the same Hukum chooses the next Rung. Otherwise the deal moves on one seat. The first team to 5 points wins the match. At a private table you choose 3, 5, 7 or 11.
Court Piece words
| Rung / Rang | The trump suit. Any Rung card beats every card of the other suits. |
| Hukum | The player after the dealer, who chooses the Rung. |
| Sar / Haath | A trick: one card from each player. |
| Baazi | A hand: one full deal of 13 tricks. |
| Kot | Lifting all 13 tricks in a hand. |
| Goon Kot | A Kot by the team that didn't choose the Rung. |
Tips to win more hands
- As Hukum, pick the suit where you hold the most cards, not only the highest ones. Length wins tricks late in the hand.
- Watch the pile. When your partner has just won a trick, winning the next one lifts everything, so play your strong card.
- When the other team has just won, spoil their pair: win this trick, even with a small Rung, so they can't lift.
- Count the Rung cards played. Once they're gone, your high cards are safe.
Court Piece FAQ
How many players are in Court Piece?
Four players in two teams of two. Partners sit across from each other, and play goes anti-clockwise.
Who chooses the Rung?
The player after the dealer, called the Hukum. They see only their first five cards and choose the Rung from them. On Taash they have 30 seconds; if time runs out, their longest suit is chosen.
Do I have to play a Rung card if I can't follow suit?
No. You must follow the suit that was led if you can. If you can't, you may play any card: cut with the Rung, or throw away a card of another suit.
What is a Kot in Court Piece?
A Kot is when one team lifts all 13 tricks of a hand. A Kot by the Hukum's team scores 3 points; a Goon Kot, by the other team, scores 6.
Can I play Court Piece online with friends for free?
Yes. On Taash you open a private table and share its code or link. Your friends sit down at your table in the browser, with no download. It's free to play.